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Both the Thunder and Spurs have young cores, with Kia MVP contenders, smart front offices and solid coaches.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Download the NBA App<\/a><\/p>\n SAN ANTONIO \u2014 This is a wish that can be envisioned, publicized, perhaps rationalized. But above all, in order to be taken seriously, it must be realized. And in the case of Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio, the rivalry that the basketball world desperately craves and anticipates, well that hasn\u2019t happened yet, not now, not three games into the Western Conference Finals<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n And not until the Spurs make it happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Until further notice, the Thunder remain in control and command, bringing more troops, smarter adjustments, better composure and all the plays when it truly matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n They\u2019re up 2-1 in the series after swatting away the Spurs\u2019\u00a015-0 run to start Game 3 and eventually cruised with room to spare Friday in a breezy 123-108 win<\/a>. The one-game margin in the series might not seem comfortable, at least until context is applied.\u00a0<\/p>\n Because here are the unimpeachable details so far:\u00a0<\/p>\n The Thunder have been without Jalen Williams<\/a> for nearly two games with nagging and recurring hamstring issues; he of course is the former All-NBA player who serves as OKC\u2019s scoring wingman to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Meanwhile, the Thunder\u2019s strength in numbers once again is devastating. They are reserves in name only, and they outscored the Spurs\u2019\u00a0bench by an incredible 76-23. Jared McCain was insane with 24 points and showed he\u2019s much more than a 3-point shooting threat. In this series, the bench totals are 183 for the Thunder\u00a0\u2014\u00a0OKC\u2019s subs have scored 50-plus in three straight games\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and 64 for the Spurs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Jared McCain (22 points) and Jaylin Williams (18 points) both score playoff career-highs as the Thunder bench propels them to win.<\/p>\n Conversation can change quickly in these playoffs; we\u2019ve seen it happen many times. It\u2019ll just require more from the Spurs, a young team trying to skip a few steps in its transition into a championship contender and scary enough to pull that off\u00a0\u2026\u00a0soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n But right now? Against OKC, the defending champions? The only team in this series that has been there and done that already?\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the first playoffs for me, for us,\u201d\u00a0said Wemby.\u00a0\u201cOf course there\u2019s going to be hard trials. That is expected. But now we\u2019re going to see what we\u2019re made of.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n A rivalry needs to be evenly contested in order to be classified as one. The four wins by the Spurs over OKC during the regular season certainly raised possibilities. But there\u2019s a difference between playing a game on a random February night, and in a best-of-seven series where adjustments can be made and lessons are learned and clues are unlocked.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s a roundabout way of saying rivalries, like trees, need to mature. This one hasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n From the standpoint of potential, then yes, Spurs-Thunder could someday rank with the greatest in-conference rivalries ever, right with those Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics classics featuring Julius Erving and Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. These rivalries aren\u2019t between teams in separate conferences and therefore aren\u2019t playing for the NBA championship, but that makes it even harsher. Because the loser won\u2019t even get a shot at a title and might be better qualified that the East team that reaches the Finals.\u00a0<\/p>\n The ingredients in this rivalry recipe are apparent and real, though. Both teams have a young core, with Kia MVP contenders and depth, the front offices are smartly run, the teams are well coached and there\u2019s no sign of locker room drama.\u00a0<\/p>\n And it has spice: A chippy third quarter was prolonged Friday by hard fouls delivered by both teams. Alex Caruso chopped Stephon Castle. When Ajay Mitchell moments later clubbed Castle, pushing and shoving ensued. Next up? Wemby lowered his shoulder into Chet Holmgren, driving the Thunder center into the ground. However, there was no hair-pulling this time; Isaiah Hartenstein, guilty a few nights earlier, kept his fingers away from Castle\u2019s dreads.\u00a0<\/p>\n So in addition to being somewhat evenly matched, these teams don\u2019t appear to be fond of each another, precisely the sour flavor a rivalry needs to be fully appreciated.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Spurs and Thunder are also stocked with assets to nourish and improve the rosters over the next several years, which could sustain excellence for both teams. These two will think of each other whenever they make a trade and sign a free agent; everything will be done with\u00a0\u201chow will this help\u00a0us\u00a0against\u00a0them\u201d\u00a0in mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n They will not, however, make deals with each other. Coincidently, OKC president Sam Presti cut his teeth in the Spurs organization decades ago, but you can imagine the Spurs have since told him to lose their number. The Thunder and Spurs will talk trade when hell freezes over\u00a0\u2026\u00a0twice.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the meantime, it\u2019s up to the Spurs to get this rivalry going sooner rather than later.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wemby is dealing with an OKC defense that\u2019s constantly adjusting and making him guess. One minute it\u2019s Caruso, who surrenders more than a foot, guarding him, then a chunky Hartenstein, then a lengthy Holmgren, then a physical Jaylin Williams. Each offer different looks and degrees of sharp elbows.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Victor Wembanyama finishes with 26 points in a 123-108 Game 3 loss to the Thunder.<\/p>\n He has done so much to bring the Spurs this far, and with the exception of a few lapses has been brilliant for much of this series and the postseason. He feels he needs to reach another level, and quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have trouble making my teammates better right now,\u201d\u00a0he said.\u00a0\u201cMy shooting has been terrible. I need to be more of a team player. Rebound better, facilitate better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just Wemby. A bigger issue is the availability and health of Fox and Harper. Fox made his series debut but, after a fast start, appeared to re-injure his ankle. Harper left Game 2 with an adductor injury and Friday labored through 17 minutes, scored just six points.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAll we can do is just ask as much from them as they can give,\u201d\u00a0said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson.\u00a0<\/p>\n And OKC knows how to rub the Spurs the wrong way. If it\u2019s not Shai getting creative to draw fouls (he went 12-12 from the line Friday), it\u2019s the rough play that\u2019s designed to unravel the young Spurs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no place for frustration,\u201d\u00a0said Wemby.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s annoying, of course, but we gotta use that as energy. They\u2019re physical but the difference in that team is they\u2019re experienced. They may be more smart about it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n If the Spurs fail to draw even Sunday, this rivalry might soon be placed on hold. If so, it will eventually be worth the wait. Because this features Shai, a two-time MVP, and Wemby, who might soon have a string of MVPs. It has Wemby\u2019s\u00a0\u201cethical\u201d\u00a0comment from earlier in the season regarding OKC\u2019s controversial style of play. It has the Spurs\u2019\u00a0fans who directed\u00a0\u201cflopper\u201d\u00a0chants at Shai. And so on.\u00a0<\/p>\n The folks who\u2019ll eventually draw the most enjoyment from Spurs vs. Thunder will be basketball fans on the outside. Meanwhile, in San Antonio and Oklahoma City, the stress level will be steep.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s not exactly that way right now, at least not in OKC. There\u2019s a season, right now, that in order for this series to develop suspense, it\u2019s up to the Spurs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to have to find the answers,\u201d\u00a0said Wemby.\u00a0<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at\u00a0spowell@nba.com<\/a>, find\u00a0his archive here<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0follow him on\u00a0X<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Both the Thunder and Spurs have young cores, with Kia MVP contenders, smart front offices and solid coaches.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":689076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85,336424],"class_list":["post-689075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports","tag-thunder-spurs-rivalry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=689075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/689076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=689075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=689075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=689075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe Spurs needed not just a colossal performance from Victor Wembanyama to capture their lone win, but his deep 3-pointer to force a second overtime in that win.
\nAnd when the series shifted to their home court Friday, the Spurs were rather flat overall, Wembanyama in particular wasn\u2019t impactful, while Dylan Harper and De\u2019Aaron Fox are clearly dealing with lingering effects from injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n